JP6223089B2 - Method and apparatus for manufacturing fixing member - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member.

  Conventionally, as a fixing member used in a fixing device mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an elastic material (for example, a silicone rubber layer) covered with a resin tube (for example, a fluororesin tube) is known. ing.

  As a method for producing a fixing member coated with such a resin tube, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. Specifically, a PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer) tube is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the mold. Next, after the core metal is inserted into the mold, silicone rubber is injected and cured between the core metal and the PFA tube so as to be integrally formed.

  However, in such a tube coating method using a mold, if the center axis of the core metal and the center axis of the inner peripheral surface of the mold do not exactly match, the cylindricity after manufacture shifts and rotates during use. Unevenness occurs, which is not preferable.

  In this way, in order to make the runout of the fixing roller within a predetermined range, the center axis of the roll and the center axis of the inner peripheral surface of the mold must be matched with high accuracy, and a mold with high shape accuracy is required. There is a problem that the manufacturing cost becomes expensive.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-228707 is known as a method for coating a rubber roller with a resin tube at a low cost by a simple process without using such a high-precision mold. Specifically, an adhesive is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the elastic material (rubber layer), and then the resin tube is extrapolated. And it is the method of handling the excess adhesive agent between an elastic material and a resin tube using the handling ring which has a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the resin tube in the state extrapolated by the elastic layer.

  However, in this method, when the outer diameter of the elastic material or the resin tube varies due to a manufacturing error, the handling ring may have a certain diameter, so that the handling process may not be performed properly.

  Moreover, the thing of patent document 3 is known as a similar method. Specifically, a ring-shaped member slightly larger than the outer diameter of the resin tube outer layered on the elastic material is used. An air discharge port is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped member. And when handling the excess adhesive agent between an elastic material and a resin tube, a ring-shaped member is moved from the longitudinal direction one end side of a resin tube toward the other end side, blowing air from this ring-shaped member to a resin tube.

JP-A-63-298383 JP 2002-36360 A JP 2005-238765 A

  However, in the case of the technique of Patent Document 3, the ring-shaped member is handled with air while maintaining a non-contact state with respect to the resin tube, as will be described later in a comparative example. There is a fear that it can not be done.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member that can appropriately handle excess adhesive from between a resin tube and an elastic material.

In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of the fixing member manufacturing method according to the present invention is as follows.
A first step of extrapolating the resin tube to the elastic material;
A ring-shaped member having a larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the resin tube extrapolated to the elastic material, in a second step of handling excess adhesive between the elastic material and the resin tube, Extrapolating to one end side in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube, and contacting the ring-shaped member from the one end side in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube while bringing the ring-shaped member into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the resin tube by air pressure The second step of moving toward the side, and
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately handle excess adhesive from between the resin tube and the elastic material.

It is a figure explaining a structure and positional relationship of the fluororesin tube of the surface layer of Example 1, and a handling ring-shaped member. It is a figure explaining the structure of a fixing belt (or pressure belt). 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an example of an image forming apparatus. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a fixing device according to a first exemplary embodiment. It is a figure explaining the elastic layer formation method of a fixing belt (or pressure belt). It is a figure explaining the apparatus which coat | covers the PFA tube of a fixing belt (or pressure belt). It is a figure explaining the method of coat | covering the PFA tube of a fixing belt (or pressure belt). It is a figure explaining the handling ring-shaped member of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the state where the pressure of the handling ring-shaped member of Example 1 is not applied. It is a figure explaining the handling method of Example 1, this Example 2, and a comparative example. It is a figure explaining the handling ring-shaped member of the comparative example of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the handling ring-shaped member of Example 2. FIG.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples. Although these examples are examples of embodiments to which the present invention can be applied, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the idea of the present invention.

[Example 1]
(1) Image Forming Unit FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration schematic diagram of the image forming apparatus used in this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is an electrophotographic laser printer, and includes a photosensitive drum 2 as an image carrier for carrying a latent image. The photosensitive drum 2 is rotationally driven in a clockwise direction indicated by an arrow at a predetermined speed, and its outer surface is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charger 3. Laser scanning exposure 5 of image information is performed on the uniformly charged surface by a laser scanner (optical device) 4. As a result, an electrostatic latent image of the scanned image information is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

  The electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image by the developing device 6. The toner images are sequentially transferred to the recording material (sheet) S introduced into the transfer portion at the transfer portion which is a contact portion between the photosensitive drum 2 and the transfer roller 7.

  The recording material S is stacked and stored in a paper feed cassette 9 at the lower part of the apparatus. When the paper feed roller 10 is driven at a predetermined paper feed timing, the recording material in the paper feed cassette 9 is separated and fed one by one, and reaches the registration roller pair 11 through the transport path 10a. The registration roller pair 11 receives the leading end of the recording material S and corrects the skew of the recording material. Further, in synchronization with the toner image on the photosensitive drum, the timing of the leading edge of the recording material just reaches the transfer portion when the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drum reaches the transfer portion. The recording material S is fed to the transfer unit.

  The recording material S that has passed through the transfer portion is separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 and conveyed to the image fixing device A. The fixing device A fixes an unfixed toner image on the recording material S as a fixed image on the recording material surface by heating and pressing. Then, the recording material is discharged and stacked on the discharge tray 13 at the upper part of the apparatus by the discharge roller pair 12 through the conveyance path 10b. Further, the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 after separation of the recording material is cleaned by removing residual deposits such as transfer residual toner by the cleaning device 8 and repeatedly used for image formation.

(2) Fixing device A
FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the fixing device A in this embodiment. The fixing device A is a twin belt type-electromagnetic induction heating type device.

  Here, the longitudinal direction or the longitudinal direction of the fixing device A or a member constituting the fixing device A is a direction parallel to a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveyance direction in the recording material conveyance path surface. The front of the fixing device is the surface on the recording material introduction side. Left and right are left or right when the device is viewed from the front. The belt width is a belt dimension (= dimension in the belt longitudinal direction) in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveyance direction. The width of the recording material is a recording material dimension in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveyance direction on the recording material surface. Further, upstream or downstream is upstream or downstream in the recording material conveyance direction.

  The fixing device A includes, as fixing members, a fixing belt (heating member) 20 and a pressure belt (pressure member) 30 that form a nip portion that heats and presses the recording material while nipping and conveying the recording material therebetween. . Both the fixing belt 20 and the pressure belt 30 are flexible endless belts.

  The configuration of the fixing belt 20 will be described in detail in section (3). The fixing belt 20 has a tension roller 51 and a fixing roller 52 arranged in parallel with a gap as a belt suspension member, and a downward pressure as a first pressure pad disposed between the rollers 51 and 52. It is stretched around the fixing pad 53. The tension roller 51 and the fixing roller 52 are supported by being rotatably supported between left and right side plates of a fixing device casing (not shown). The fixing pad 53 is supported and disposed between the left and right side plates of the fixing device casing.

  The tension roller 51 is an iron hollow roller having a thickness of 1 mm and an outer diameter of 20 mm and an inner diameter of 18 mm, and gives tension to the fixing belt 20.

  The fixing roller 52 is a highly slidable elastic roller in which a silicone rubber elastic layer as an elastic layer is provided on an iron alloy hollow core metal having an outer diameter of 20 mm and an inner diameter of 18 mm. The fixing roller 52 receives a driving force from a driving source (motor) M via a driving gear train (not shown) as a driving roller, and is rotationally driven in a clockwise direction indicated by an arrow at a predetermined speed.

  By providing the elastic layer on the fixing roller 52 as described above, the driving force input to the fixing roller 52 can be transmitted to the fixing belt 20 and the recording material S can be separated from the fixing belt 20. It is possible to form a fixing nip for ensuring the above. The hardness of silicone rubber is JIS-A 15 degrees. The silicone rubber elastic layer reduces heat conduction to the inside, and is effective in shortening the warm-up time.

  In this embodiment, the pressurizing belt 30 has electrocast nickel as a base layer, and the surface is provided with a PFA tube of fluororesin with a thickness of 30 μm as a release layer. The pressure belt 30 is disposed below the fixing belt 20 in the drawing as follows. That is, the pressure belt 30 includes a tension roller 54 and a pressure roller 55 arranged in parallel with a gap as a belt suspension member, and a second pressure pad disposed between the rollers 54 and 55. Between the pressure pad 56 and the upward pressure pad 56.

  The tension roller 54 and the pressure roller 55 are rotatably supported and supported between left and right side plates of a fixing device casing (not shown). The tension roller 54 is a silicone sponge for reducing the heat conductivity from the pressure belt 30 by reducing the heat conductivity to a hollow core metal made of iron alloy having an outer diameter of 20 mm and an inner diameter of 16 mm and a thickness of 2 mm. A layer is provided to tension the pressure belt 30. The pressure roller 55 is a low-sliding hollow rigid roller made of an iron alloy having an outer diameter of 20 mm and an inner diameter of 16 mm and a thickness of 2 mm. The pressure pad 56 is supported and disposed between the left and right side plates of the fixing device casing.

  A fixing nip (nip portion) 60 as an image heating unit is formed between the fixing belt 20 and the pressure belt 30. For this purpose, the pressure roller 55 is pressed toward the fixing roller 52 at a predetermined pressure in the direction of arrow F by a pressure mechanism (not shown) at both the left and right ends of the rotation shaft.

  In order to obtain a wide fixing nip 60 without increasing the size of the apparatus, a pressure pad is employed. That is, the fixing belt 53 is pressed toward the pressure belt 30 by the fixing pad 53 and the pressure belt 30 is pressed toward the fixing belt 20 by the pressure pad 56. The pressure pad 56 is pressed toward the fixing pad 53 with a predetermined pressure in the direction of arrow G by a pressure mechanism (not shown). By fixing the fixing belt 20 and the pressure belt 30 between the fixing pad 53 and the pressure pad 56, a wide fixing nip 60 is formed in the recording material conveyance direction.

  The fixing pad 53 has a sliding sheet (low friction sheet) 58 in contact with the pad base and the inner surface of the fixing belt. The pressure pad 56 also has a sliding sheet 59 in contact with the pad base and the inner surface of the pressure belt. This is because when the belt base layer is made of a metal layer, there is a problem that the portion of the pad that slides on the inner peripheral surface of the pad is greatly scraped. By interposing the sliding sheets 58 and 59 between the belt and the pad base, the pad can be prevented from being scraped and the sliding resistance can be reduced, so that good belt running performance and belt durability can be secured.

  As a heating means for the fixing belt 20, a heat source (induction heating member, excitation coil) of an electromagnetic induction heating method with high energy efficiency is employed. The induction heating member 57 as a heating source is disposed to face the outer surface of the ascending belt portion of the fixing belt 20 with a predetermined slight gap.

  The induction heating member 57 includes an induction coil 57a, an excitation core 57b, and a coil holder 57c that holds them. The induction coil 57a uses a litz wire flattened in an oval shape, and is disposed in a lateral E-type excitation core 57b protruding from the center and both sides of the induction coil. Since the exciting core 57b is made of ferrite or permalloy having a high magnetic permeability and a low residual magnetic velocity density, loss in the induction coil 57a and the exciting core 57b can be suppressed and the fixing belt 20 can be efficiently heated.

  The fixing operation is as follows. The control circuit unit 63 drives the motor M at least during execution of image formation. Further, a high frequency current is passed from the excitation circuit 64 to the induction coil 57 a of the induction heating member 57.

  By driving the motor M, the fixing roller 52 is rotationally driven. As a result, the fixing belt 20 is rotationally driven in the same direction as the fixing roller 52. The circumferential speed of the fixing belt 20 is slightly lower than the conveyance speed of the sheet S conveyed from the image forming unit side in order to form a loop in the recording material S on the recording material entrance side of the fixing nip 60. Has been. In this embodiment, the peripheral speed of the fixing belt 20 is 300 mm / sec, and it is possible to fix 70 A4 size full color images per minute.

  The pressure belt 30 rotates following the fixing belt 20 by the frictional force with the fixing belt 20 in the fixing nip 60. Here, the belt downstream can be prevented from slipping by adopting a configuration in which the fixing belt 20 and the pressure belt 30 are sandwiched and conveyed by the roller pair 52/55 at the most downstream portion of the fixing nip. The most downstream portion of the fixing nip is a portion where the pressure distribution (recording material conveyance direction) at the fixing nip is maximized.

  On the other hand, when a high frequency current flows from the excitation circuit 54 to the induction coil 57a of the induction heating member 57, the metal layer of the fixing belt 20 is inductively heated and the fixing belt 20 is heated. The surface temperature of the fixing belt 20 is detected by a temperature detection element 62 such as a thermistor. A signal related to the temperature of the fixing belt 20 detected by the temperature detection element 62 is input to the control circuit unit 63. The control circuit unit 63 controls the power supplied from the excitation circuit 64 to the induction coil 57a so that the temperature information input from the temperature detecting element 62 is maintained at a predetermined fixing temperature, thereby setting the temperature of the fixing belt 20 to a predetermined fixing temperature. Adjust temperature to temperature.

  The recording material S having the unfixed toner image t is conveyed to the fixing nip 60 between the fixing belt 20 and the pressure belt 30 in a state where the fixing belt 20 is rotationally driven and the temperature is adjusted by rising to a predetermined fixing temperature. Is done. The recording material S is introduced with the surface carrying the unfixed toner image t facing the fixing belt 20 side. The recording material S is nipped and conveyed by the fixing nip 60 while the unfixed toner image carrying surface is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt 20, so that heat is applied from the fixing belt 20 and pressure is applied. The unfixed toner image t is fixed on the surface of the recording material S.

  Further, since the fixing roller 32 in the fixing belt 20 is an elastic roller having a rubber layer, and the pressure roller 35 in the pressure belt 30 is an iron alloy rigid roller, the fixing belt 20, the pressure belt 30, The deformation of the fixing roller 52 is large at the fixing nip exit. As a result, the fixing belt 20 is also greatly deformed, and the recording material S carrying the fixing toner image is separated from the fixing belt 20 by the curvature thereof. 61 is a separation auxiliary claw member.

(3) Fixing belt 20
FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a layer structure of the fixing belt 20 as a fixing member in this embodiment, and FIG. 21 is a base material (cylindrical base body) of the fixing belt 20, 25 is an inner surface sliding layer disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the base body 21, and 26 is a primer layer (adhesive layer) covering the outer peripheral surface of the base material 21. , 22 is an elastic layer (cylindrical elastic material) disposed on the primer layer 26. A resin tube 24 is a surface layer (toner release layer), and in this example, a fluororesin tube is fixed to the peripheral surface of the elastic layer 22 by an adhesive layer 23.

  The fixing belt 20 of the present embodiment is the above-described six-layer laminated composite layer member, which is a thin, low-heat capacity member having flexibility as a whole. The fixing belt 20 has a substantially cylindrical shape in a free state. Each constituent layer will be specifically described below.

(3-1) Substrate 21
In this embodiment, the base material 21 of the fixing belt 20 is formed of a metal layer such as SUS alloy, nickel, iron, magnetic stainless steel, cobalt-nickel alloy, etc. in order to be heated by the induction heating member 57. In this embodiment, an electroformed nickel belt having an inner diameter of 55 mm and a thickness of 65 μm is used as a base material.

  The thickness is preferably 1 to 300 μm. If the thickness of the substrate 21 is smaller than 1 μm, the rigidity is low and it is difficult to endure the durability of a large number of sheets. On the other hand, if the substrate 21 exceeds 300 μm, the rigidity becomes too high and the flexibility is lowered, which is not practical for use as a belt-like rotating body. More preferably, 20 μm to 100 μm is ideal.

(3-2) Inner surface sliding layer 25
As the inner surface sliding layer 25, a resin having high durability and high heat resistance such as polyimide resin is suitable. In this example, a polyimide precursor solution obtained by reacting approximately equimolar amounts of an aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydride or its derivative and an aromatic diamine in an organic polar solvent is applied to the inner surface of the substrate 21. Work. And it dried and heated, the polyimide resin layer formed by the dehydration ring closure reaction was formed, and it was set as the inner surface sliding layer 25. FIG.

(3-3) Elastic layer 22
An elastic layer 22 is provided on the outer periphery of the substrate 21 via a primer layer 26. As the material of the elastic layer 22, a known elastic material can be used, and for example, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, or the like can be used.

  The thickness of the elastic layer 22 is preferably 100 μm or more in order to prevent uneven gloss due to the fact that the heating surface of the fixing belt cannot follow the unevenness of the recording material S or the unevenness of the toner layer when printing an image.

  If the thickness of the elastic layer 22 is less than 100 μm, the function as an elastic member is hardly exhibited, and the pressure distribution at the time of fixing becomes non-uniform, thereby sufficiently heating the unfixed toner of the secondary color particularly at the time of fixing a full color image. Unable to fix, unevenness occurs in the gloss of the fixed image. Insufficient melting lowers the color mixing property of the toner and is not preferable because a high-definition full-color image cannot be obtained. In this embodiment, silicone rubber is used, the hardness is JIS-A 6 degrees, the thermal conductivity is 0.8 W / mK, and the thickness is 450 μm.

  A method for applying the elastic layer 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an example of a coating process for forming a silicone rubber layer as the elastic layer 22 on the base material 21 by a coating apparatus, and is a schematic diagram for explaining a method using a so-called ring coating method.

  In this embodiment, the cylinder pump 41 is filled with an addition-curable silicone rubber composition in which an addition-curable silicone rubber and a filler are blended. Then, the above-described composition is pumped from the cylinder pump 41 to the annular coating head 42 to thereby form a cylindrical substrate 21 (25) from a coating liquid supply nozzle (not shown) arranged inside the annular coating head 42. The addition curable silicone rubber composition is applied to the peripheral surfaces of 21 and 26). The peripheral surface of the cylindrical base 21 is previously primed by a known method.

  The coating head 42 is held by a fixed coating head holding portion 43. The cylinder pump 41 is driven by the motor M <b> 1 to pump the addition-curable silicone rubber composition to the coating head 43 through the tube 44.

  The cylindrical base body 21 is externally fitted to and held by a cylindrical core metal held by a metal core holder 45. The cored bar holder 45 is held on the coating table 46 so as to be horizontally movable with the axis thereof being horizontal. The annular coating head 42 is fitted on the cylindrical base body 21 coaxially. The coating table 46 is moved forward at a predetermined speed in the horizontal axis direction of the cored bar holder 45 by the motor M2. Further, it is moved backward (returned).

  Simultaneously with the coating by the coating head 42, the cylindrical substrate 21 is moved (forwardly moved) in the right direction at a constant speed on the drawing, so that the coating film 22a of the addition-curing silicone rubber composition is formed around the cylindrical substrate 21. The surface can be formed in a cylindrical shape.

  The thickness of the coating film can be controlled by the clearance between the coating liquid supply nozzle and the cylindrical substrate 21, the supply speed of the silicone rubber composition, the moving speed of the cylindrical substrate 21, and the like.

  The addition-curable silicone rubber composition layer 22a formed on the cylindrical substrate 21 is heated for a certain period of time by a heating means such as an electric furnace to advance the crosslinking reaction, thereby forming the silicone rubber elastic layer 22. it can. In the examples, heating was performed at 200 ° C. for 30 minutes in an electric furnace.

(3-4) Adhesive layer 23
The adhesive layer 23 for fixing the fluorine tube as the surface layer 24 on the cured silicone rubber layer as the elastic layer 22 was uniformly applied to the surface of the elastic layer 22 with a thickness of 1 to 10 μm (adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer). Adhesive application step of applying the agent). In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 23 is made of a cured product of an addition-curable silicone rubber adhesive. The addition curable silicone rubber adhesive 23 includes an addition curable silicone rubber in which a self-adhesive component is blended.

  Specifically, the addition-curable silicone rubber adhesive 23 contains an organopolysiloxane having an unsaturated hydrocarbon group represented by a vinyl group, a hydrogenorganopolysiloxane, and a platinum compound as a crosslinking catalyst. And it hardens | cures by addition reaction. As such an adhesive, a known adhesive can be used. In this example, a liquid or paste-like uncured adhesive layer was uniformly applied with a thickness of about 5 μm.

(3-5) Fluororesin tube 24
As the surface layer of the fixing member, a fluororesin tube 24, which is a resin tube obtained by extrusion molding from the viewpoint of moldability and toner releasability, is used.

  As the fluororesin, a tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA) excellent in heat resistance is preferably used (PFA tube). The PFA tube is formed by extrusion.

  The form of copolymerization of PFA as a raw material is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include random copolymerization, block copolymerization, and graft copolymerization. Moreover, the content molar ratio of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether (PAVE) in PFA as a raw material is not particularly limited. For example, a TFE / PAVE containing molar ratio of 94/6 to 99/1 can be suitably used.

  Examples of other fluororesins include tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and ethylene / tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE). Further, polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), ethylene / chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (ECTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and the like can be given. These fluororesins can be used alone or in combination.

  In this example, a PFA tube obtained by extrusion molding was used. The tube thickness was 50 μm. The tube inner diameter was 52 mm, which was smaller than the outer diameter of the elastic layer 22. The inner surface of the tube is treated with ammonia in order to improve adhesion.

(3-6) Fluororesin tube coating step In this embodiment, the PFA tube 24 as a surface layer is expanded and coated from the outside (expanded coating method: the cylindrical elastic layer 22 coated with the adhesive 23 on the fluororesin tube 24). Step). FIG. 6 is an external view of an apparatus for coating the PFA tube 24 on the base material 21 on which the silicone rubber layer 22 is laminated by the extended coating method. This is an apparatus for setting the base material W (25 + 21 + 26 + 22 + 23) on which the silicone rubber layer 22 is laminated to the core N (FIG. 2B) and expanding and coating the PFA tube 24 disposed on the inner surface of the tube expansion type K. . The flow of this extended coating method will be described with reference to FIG.

(A) Tube insertion The outer layer of the PFA tube 24 is placed inside a metal tube expansion type K having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the base material W (FIG. 2B) on which a silicone rubber layer is laminated as the elastic layer 22. Place (insert) by mechanism.

(B) Both Ends Holding Both ends of the PFA tube 24 arranged in the expansion type K are held using holding members (first and second holding tools: gripping tools) Fu and Fl. Specifically, one end of the tube 24 in the longitudinal direction is held by the holding member Fu, and the other end is held by the holding member Fl.

(C) Vacuum expansion Next, the longitudinal direction is contracted (bent) by a predetermined length obtained in advance for the PFA tube 24 by a moving mechanism (narrowing mechanism). Specifically, the moving mechanism moves the holding members Fu and Fl toward each other so that the distance between the holding members Fu and Fl in the state where the PFA tube is held is reduced by a predetermined distance. Thereafter, the gap between the outer surface of the PFA tube 24 and the inner surface of the expansion type K is brought into a vacuum state (negative pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure). When the vacuum (5 kPa) is reached, the PFA tube 24 expands and the outer surface of the PFA tube 24 comes into close contact with the inner surface of the expandable K (expansion mechanism that expands the PFA tube 24 in the radial direction).

(D) Inserting the base material W The base material W (25 + 21 + 26 + 22 + 23) is set in the core N by the extrapolation mechanism (outer layer), and inserted into the expansion type K in which the PFA tube 24 is expanded inside. On the surface of the silicone rubber layer 22 of the base material W, a liquid or paste-like uncured addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive layer 23 is uniformly applied in advance.

  The inner diameter of the expansion type K is not particularly limited as long as the base material W can be smoothly inserted.

(E) Vacuum breaking and stretching After disposing the base material W with respect to the expansion type K, the vacuum state (negative pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure) in the gap between the outer surface of the PFA tube 24 and the inner surface of the expansion type K is destroyed (atmospheric pressure) To release negative pressure). By breaking the vacuum, the diameter of the PFA tube 24 is expanded to the same size as the outer diameter of the base material W on which the silicone rubber layer 22 is laminated, and the surfaces of the PFA tube 24 and the silicone rubber layer 22 are adhesive. The layer 23 is brought into a close contact state.

  Next, the PFA tube 24 is extended to a predetermined extension rate by the extension mechanism (extension in the longitudinal direction of the fluororesin tube). Specifically, the extension mechanism moves the holding members Fu and Fl in a direction away from each other so that the distance between the holding members Fu and Fl is increased by a predetermined distance. That is, this is a step of increasing the distance between the holding members Fu and Fl by a predetermined distance in order to extend the PFA tube 24 extrapolated to the silicone rubber layer 22 in the longitudinal direction. When the PFA tube 24 is stretched, the addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 between the PFA tube 24 and the silicone rubber layer 22 serves as a lubricant and can stretch smoothly.

  The elongation ratio in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24 of this example was 6% (based on the total length of the fluororesin tube covered with the cylindrical elastic layer). By extending the PFA tube 24 in the longitudinal direction, wrinkles are unlikely to occur in the PFA tube 24 and a highly durable fixing belt is obtained.

  The above steps (a) to (e) are fluororesin coating steps.

(F) Caulking process of the elastic layer 22 and the fluororesin tube 24 (temporary fixing process)
In order to maintain the elongation ratio in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24 and to prevent the PFA tube from contracting in the longitudinal direction in the heating step (h) described later, the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 are In this step, both end portions are bonded (temporarily fixed) in parallel.

  By heating both ends of the PFA tube 24 in the longitudinal direction (parts to be cut in the subsequent process) with a caulking bit (heating mechanism) H1 with a built-in heater, the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 are added curing type silicone rubber adhesive 23. Adhere locally. A configuration in which at least one crimped portion (temporary fixing portion) in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24 is alternately provided with a portion to be bonded to the elastic layer 22 and a portion to be not bonded in the circumferential direction (a plurality of formed configurations) ).

(G) Handling process Between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24, there is an excessive addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 that does not contribute to adhesion, and air that is engulfed when the tube is covered. If excess adhesive or air remains between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 and becomes the fixing belt 20, the remaining portion becomes thicker or the thermal conductivity changes. It will cause defects. In this process, the surplus adhesive and air are handled by the handling mechanism R.

  Although described in detail in the section (3-7), the base material W (the member covered with the tube) covered with the PFA tube 24 is taken out from the expansion type K. In a normal state, a handling mechanism R having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W is externally fitted to the substrate W.

  This handling mechanism R is moved from the upper end (one end) of the base material W coated with the PFA tube 24 to the lower end (the other end) in the longitudinal direction of the tube (axial direction: the other end in the longitudinal direction of the tube). Let At this time, the handling mechanism R applies an air pressure (0.5 MPa) to the ring-shaped member having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the base material W to reduce the inner diameter of the ring-shaped member and contact the outer peripheral surface of the PFA tube 24. The handling mechanism R is moved.

  As a result, excess addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 that does not contribute to the adhesion between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 and the air that has been engulfed when the tube is covered are handled (between the substrate and the tube). To handle excess adhesive).

(H) Heat treatment After the handling process (after handling operation by the handling mechanism), heat treatment (150 ° C., 20 minutes heating in an electric furnace as a heating mechanism) is performed, so that the entire addition-curable silicone rubber adhesive 23 is Harden. Thereby, the PFA tube 24 and the elastic layer 22 are fixed over the entire region (step of curing the adhesive).

(I) Cutting and polishing After the heat treatment, after natural cooling, both ends of the substrate W (25 + 21 + 26 + 22 + 23 + 24) are cut to a predetermined length by a cutting mechanism. Specifically, the cutting mechanism cuts so that both ends in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube, that is, the temporarily fixed region are cut off. Thereafter, the cut surface was polished to complete the fixing belt 20.

  With such a series of manufacturing processes, the fixing belt manufacturing process is completed.

  The base material 21 used was 420 mm in length, and the application start position of the silicone rubber layer of the elastic layer 22 was about 8 mm from the end of the base material 21. Further, the application end position of the silicone rubber layer of the elastic layer 22 was set to about 8 mm from the end opposite to the side where the application of the silicone rubber layer of the base material 21 was started. The cutting position was 25 mm inside from both ends of the base material 21 on both sides. The amount of polishing is 1 mm per side. Therefore, the fixing belt 20 is in a range of 184 mm on both sides from the center of the base material 21, and this range is called a product region. The other area is referred to as a non-product area.

(3-7) Method of handling air entrained when covering the adhesive 23 and the fluororesin tube between the elastic layer 22 and the fluororesin tube 24 of this embodiment (handling process)
Between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24, there are excess addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 that does not contribute to adhesion, and air that is entrained when the PFA tube 24 is covered. A method of handling the excess adhesive and air will be described with reference to FIG.

  The handling mechanism R has an inner diameter that is approximately 2 mm larger than the outer diameter of the base material W (with the PFA tube 24 extrapolated to the elastic layer 22) covered with the PFA tube 24 at room temperature. The handling mechanism R has an O-ring O (handling ring) that is a ring-shaped member having an inner diameter (caliber) that is approximately 1 mm larger than the outer diameter of the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24 (at room temperature). Also called). An air pressure (air pressure is applied as a means for applying pressure) is applied to the O-ring O from an air supply mechanism (air pump) (step of applying pressure to the handling ring).

  As described above, the handling mechanism R having the O-ring O on the inner side is extrapolated with respect to the upper end portion of the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24 (one end side of the member (W + 24) covered with the tube). . That is, the O-ring O is positioned so as to overlap the upper end portion of the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24 (one longitudinal end portion of the member covered with the tube 24). Then, air pressure (0.5 MPa) is applied. Then, the inner diameter of the O-ring O becomes small (shrinks due to air pressure).

  That is, the handling ring has a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the member (W + 24) at normal times (when no air pressure is applied). Then, by applying pressure to the handling ring, the diameter of the handling ring is reduced, and the O-ring O is pressed over the entire outer peripheral surface of the PFA tube 24.

  With the O-ring O being pressed against the PFA tube 24, the handling mechanism R is moved in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the PFA tube 24. As a result, the excess addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 and the air entrained when the PFA tube 24 is coated are handled (intervened between the base material and the tube). Handle the adhesive).

  When the handling mechanism R is moved in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24, it may be moved after applying silicone oil or the like to the surface of the PFA tube 24 when slipping is not good.

  The configuration of the handling mechanism R will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a view as seen from directly above, and a view as seen from the side by cutting vertically from directly above. The handling mechanism R has an O-ring O sandwiched between an upper part Ru and a lower part Rl. The material of the upper part Ru and the lower part Rl is SUS304 (stainless steel) in consideration of durability.

  As the O-ring O, a rubber ring (CO0054 manufactured by NOK) which is an elastic body having an inner diameter of 57.6 mm and a thickness of 5.7 mm was used. The upper part Ru has air supply ports Ri1 and Ri2, which are configured to push the O-ring O inward when air is supplied from the air supply mechanism. When pressure is applied from the outside of the O-ring O by the air pressure, it is pushed inward, but when handled, there is a substrate W coated with the PFA tube 24 inside the O-ring O, and the PFA tube 24 serves as a wall. Therefore, the O-ring O does not come off the handling mechanism R.

  Further, since the inside of the O-ring O has the PFA tube 24, the O-ring O tends to extend vertically by the amount compressed from the outside by being compressed by air pressure. For this reason, the O-ring O is pressed against the upper part Ru and the lower part Rl, and air is difficult to escape. When the supply of air is stopped (returned to atmospheric pressure), the O-ring O returns to its original size by the restoring force (elastic force) of the O-ring O. Further, in order to reliably return the O-ring O to the original state, suction (negative pressure) may be performed from the air supply ports Ri1 and Ri2 (step of applying negative pressure to the handling ring).

  The positional relationship between the O-ring O and the PFA tube 24 when no air pressure is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a view when the substrate W is cut perpendicularly from the longitudinal direction.

  When air is not applied, the inner diameter of the O-ring O is the original size (about 1 mm larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W covered with the PFA tube 24) and is sandwiched between the upper part Ru and the lower part Rl. It is. The surface of the PFA tube 24 and the O-ring O are not in contact. The surface of the PFA tube 24 and the O-ring O are separated by about 0.5 mm. Therefore, the handling mechanism R can be easily positioned (extrapolated) at the upper end portion (one longitudinal end side) of the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24.

  In this example, a configuration is adopted in which the O-ring O is contracted using air pressure. Therefore, by adjusting the air pressure (increasing or decreasing the air pressure), even when the outer diameter of the object to be brought into close contact (the outer diameter of the resin tube externally attached to the elastic layer) changes, It becomes possible to cope with.

  A method of handling the air entrained when the adhesive and the fluororesin tube are covered between the elastic layer 22 and the fluororesin tube 24 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  (A) The handling mechanism R is positioned at one longitudinal end of the substrate W covered with the PFA tube 24. At this time, no air pressure is applied to the O-ring O. Then, the handling mechanism R is moved from one end in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24 toward the other end.

  (B) Air pressure (0.5 MPa) is applied immediately before the O-ring O overlaps the product region (position before about 2 mm) to bring the O-ring O into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the PFA tube 24. Subsequently, the handling mechanism R is moved toward the other end in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24. As a result, the excess addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 and the air that has been caught when the PFA tube 24 is covered are handled.

  (C) While the O-ring O passes through the product region, the handling mechanism R is moved toward the other end in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24 while maintaining the state where the air pressure (0.5 MPa) is applied.

  (D) When the O-ring O reaches the outside of the product area (a position within about 5 mm from the product area), the air pressure is released (returned to the atmospheric pressure) (the pressure on the handling ring is stopped). Return the diameter of the handling ring to the original). Thereby, the treated adhesive 23 and air are kept outside the product area (the other end side of the base material W). Thereafter, the handling mechanism R is removed from the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24 by a moving mechanism (detaching mechanism) (the handling ring is removed from the outer periphery of the member covered with the tube).

  Thereafter, as in the above-described steps (h) and (i) shown in FIG. 7, the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24 was subjected to heat treatment, cutting, and polishing to complete the fixing belt 20.

  100 fixing belts 20 were completed by using the method of this embodiment, but were handled by the member (core) N (FIG. 2 (b)) holding the substrate W during the manufacturing of 100 fixing belts. The adhesive 23 never adhered. Further, the appearance of 100 prepared fixing belts 20 was inspected, but no defective parts such as handling unevenness were found. Using the fixing belt 20 manufactured in this example and outputting a solid image on an OHT sheet (transparent resin sheet for an overhead projector), no image defect occurred.

(4) Comparative example The handling method in this comparative example uses the handling method shown by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2005-238765 mentioned above. The fixing belt 20 was prepared by this method.

  The difference between this example and the comparative example is only the difference in the ring-shaped member used in the handling process. In the present embodiment, the handling mechanism R is used as the ring-shaped member in the handling process, but the handling mechanism R2 is used in the comparative example. The handling mechanism R2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 shows a cross section of the handling mechanism R2.

  Air is supplied from the supply device (not shown) to the handling mechanism R2 at an air pressure of 0.5 MPa, and the air is ejected from the air ejection port Ro via the air supply port Ri and the air path Rr. The handling mechanism R2 moves in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24 while ejecting air from the air ejection port Ro. The material of the handling mechanism R2 is SUS304 (stainless steel) in consideration of durability. In the vicinity of the air outlet Ro, the PFA tube 24 and the handling mechanism R2 are close to each other.

  The pressure of air decreases according to the law of fluid mechanics as the gap between the PFA tube 24 and the handling mechanism R2 increases. That is, the handling capability is improved as the surface of the PFA tube 24 and the handling mechanism R2 are closer. However, since there are manufacturing variations in both the PFA tube 24 and the elastic layer 22, if they are too close, the surface of the PFA tube 24 and the handling mechanism R <b> 2 come into contact with each other, and the surface of the PFA tube 24 is scratched, causing image defects. End up.

  In the comparative example, when manufacturing variations of the PFA tube 24 and the elastic layer 22 are taken into consideration, it is necessary to secure about 0.6 mm at the narrowest gap between the PFA tube 24 and the handling mechanism R2. Further, since it is necessary to transport surplus adhesive or the like in the traveling direction of the handling mechanism R2, the clearance is increased in the traveling direction to increase the amount of air and transport the handled adhesive or the like.

  The adhesive layer between the elastic layer of the comparative example and the fluororesin tube and the method of handling the air entrained when the fluororesin tube was coated were the same as in this example. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  (A) The handling mechanism R2 is positioned at one longitudinal end of the substrate W covered with the PFA tube 24. At this time, no air is supplied to the handling mechanism R2. Then, the handling mechanism R <b> 2 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24.

  (B) Air (air pressure 0.5 MPa) is supplied at a point just before the handling mechanism R2 enters the product region (a position before about 2 mm). Subsequently, the handling mechanism R2 is moved toward the other end in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24. Thereby, the excess addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 and the air that has been entrained when the PFA tube 24 is covered are handled.

  (C) While the handling mechanism R2 passes through the product region, the air (air pressure 0.5 MPa) is continuously supplied, and the handling mechanism R2 is moved toward the other end in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24.

  (D) When the handling mechanism R2 reaches the outside of the product area (a position entering the outside of the product area by about 5 mm from the product area), the supply of air is stopped and the handled adhesive 23 and air are kept outside the product area. Thereafter, the handling mechanism R2 is removed from the substrate W on which the PFA tube 24 is coated.

  Thereafter, the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24 was subjected to heat treatment, cutting, and polishing to complete the fixing belt 20.

  100 fixing belts 20 were completed using the method of the comparative example, but the adhesive 23 handled on the member (core) holding the substrate W during the production of 100 has never adhered. There wasn't. However, when the appearance of 100 prepared fixing belts 20 was inspected, 12 belts were found where a large amount of adhesive 23 remained between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 (handling unevenness). there were. When the fixing belt 20 with uneven handling was used and a solid image was output to the OHT sheet, an image defect in which the uneven handling was transferred to the image occurred.

(5) About the influence by the difference in the handling method Although the appearance and output image of the fixing belt 20 manufactured in this embodiment were not defective, the appearance and output image of the fixing belt 20 manufactured in the comparative example were partially defective. It was seen.

  In this embodiment, when the excess adhesive 23 and air are handled, the PFA tube 24 and the O-ring O are in contact with each other, so that a strong handling force is applied. In addition, there are manufacturing variations in the PFA tube 24 and the elastic layer 22, and even if the outer diameter of the substrate W covered with the PFA tube 24 changes, the inner diameter of the O-ring O changes to match the outer diameter. The handling power is always kept appropriate.

  In the comparative example, if the outer diameter of the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24 is changed due to manufacturing variations in the PFA tube 24 or the elastic layer 22, the clearance between the handling mechanism R2 and the surface of the PFA tube 24 is changed. It will come out. Since the handling force decreases as the gap increases, it is considered that excessive adhesive 23 and air cannot be handled, and handling unevenness occurs.

  From the above results, it was found that this example can lower the defective product rate than the comparative example. In this embodiment, a handling ring having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the member covered with the resin tube 24 is used, and the diameter can be reduced by applying pressure to the handling ring.

  In the product region (portion that will later become a roller or a belt), pressure is applied to the handling ring to reduce the diameter, and the adhesive is handled by moving in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube while closely contacting the outer peripheral surface of the resin tube. Outside the product area (the part to be cut in the subsequent process), the diameter of the handling ring returns to the original by releasing the pressure applied to the handling ring, and the resin tube is not in contact. For this reason, the handling of the adhesive stops, the adhesive handled from within the product area remains outside the product area, and the member N holding the inserted body (an integral body of the elastic material and the resin tube) is bonded with the adhesive. Can be manufactured without getting dirty.

[Example 2]
Next, Example 2 will be described. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. In this example, the fixing belt manufacturing method of Example 1 is applied to a pressure belt manufacturing method.

(1) Pressure belt 30
In the second embodiment, the layer configuration of the pressure belt 30 that is the other fixing member of the fixing device is the same as that of the fixing belt 20. That is, it has a base material 21, an elastic layer 22, an adhesive layer 23, a fluororesin tube 24, and the like, similar to the layer configuration of the fixing belt 20 of FIG. However, the base material, the elastic layer, the resin tube (fluororesin tube), and the like are each changed to an optimum material member as the pressure belt 30.

(1-1) Substrate 21
In this embodiment, the base material 21 of the pressure belt 30 is an electroformed nickel belt having an inner diameter of 55 mm and a thickness of 50 μm. Similar to the fixing belt 20, the thickness of the substrate 21 is preferably 1 to 300 μm. If the thickness of the substrate 21 is smaller than 1 μm, the rigidity is low and it is difficult to endure the durability of a large number of sheets. Moreover, when the base material 21 exceeds 300 μm, the rigidity becomes too high, and the flexibility is lowered, so that it is not practical to use as a belt-like rotating body.

(1-2) Elastic Layer 22 and Method for Producing Elastic Layer 22 An elastic layer 22 is provided on the outer periphery of the substrate 21. As the material of the elastic layer 22, a known elastic material can be used, and for example, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, or the like can be used. In this embodiment, silicone rubber is used, the hardness is JIS-A21 degrees, the thermal conductivity is 0.4 W / mK, and the thickness is 350 μm. The coating method used was the so-called ring coating method as in Example 1.

  In the process of forming the silicone rubber layer 22 of the present embodiment, the following points are different from the first embodiment. That is, an addition curable silicone rubber composition in which an addition curable silicone rubber and a filler filled in the cylinder pump 41 (FIG. 5) are blended, and a speed at which the base material 21 is moved in the right direction of the drawing at a constant speed simultaneously with application. Only.

(1-3) Adhesive layer 23
The adhesive layer 23 of this example is the same as that of Example 1.

(1-4) Coating method of fluororesin tube 24 and fluororesin tube 24 In this example, PFA tube 24 obtained by extrusion molding was used. The tube thickness was 30 μm. The inner diameter of the tube was smaller than the outer diameter of the elastic layer 22 and was 54 mm. The inner surface of the tube is treated with ammonia in order to improve adhesion. Further, the PFA tube 24 of this example was of a heat shrink type (the full length shrinks by 3% when heated at 150 ° C. for 20 minutes). As in the case of Example 1, the so-called extended coating method was used as the coating method.

  The step of coating the fluororesin tube 24 of this example is different from that of Example 1 only in that the heat shrink type PFA tube 24 is used and the stretch ratio in the longitudinal direction is changed to 3%.

(1-5) The caulking process of the elastic layer 22 and the fluororesin tube 24 The caulking process of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

(1-6) Handling Process The handling process of the present embodiment will be described in detail later, but a handling mechanism R3 in which a nitrile rubber sheet (thickness 1 mm) is attached instead of the O-ring O of the handling mechanism R of the first embodiment. The same as Example 1 except that is used.

(1-7) Heat treatment, cutting / polishing Each step of the heat treatment, cutting / polishing of this example is the same as that of Example 1.

  The base material 21 used was 420 mm in length, and the application start position of the silicone rubber layer of the elastic layer 22 was about 8 mm from the end of the base material 21. Further, the application end position of the silicone rubber layer of the elastic layer 22 was set to about 8 mm from the end opposite to the side where the application of the silicone rubber layer of the base material 21 was started. The cutting position is inside 35 mm from the end of the base material 21 on both sides. The amount of polishing is 1 mm per side. Therefore, the pressure belt 30 is in a range of 174 mm on both sides from the center of the base material 21, and this range is called a product region. The other area is referred to as a non-product area.

(2) Method of handling the air entrained when the adhesive 23 and the fluororesin tube between the elastic layer 22 and the fluororesin tube 24 of this embodiment are covered (handling process)
The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the handling mechanism R3 is used instead of the handling mechanism R in the first embodiment. The handling mechanism R3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the handling mechanism R3. The handling mechanism R of Example 1 has an O-ring O sandwiched inside, but the handling mechanism R3 is a film F (handling) made of a nitrile rubber sheet (an elastic body having a thickness of 1 mm) instead of the O-ring O. A film on which the ring expands and contracts is attached to the inner peripheral surface.

  When air pressure (0.5 MPa) is applied, the membrane F swells and is pressed against the PFA tube 24. In a state where the membrane F is pressed against the PFA tube 24, the handling mechanism R3 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24. As a result, excess addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 that does not contribute to the adhesion between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 and air trapped when the PFA tube 24 is covered are handled.

  When the handling mechanism R3 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24, it may be moved after applying silicone oil or the like to the surface of the PFA tube 24 if slipping is not good. When the supply of air is stopped (returned to atmospheric pressure), the membrane F returns to its original size and leaves the PFA tube 24.

  A method of handling the air entrained when the adhesive 23 and the fluororesin tube between the elastic layer 22 and the fluororesin tube 24 of this embodiment are covered will be described with reference to FIG.

  (A) The handling mechanism R3 is fitted to one end of the substrate W covered with the PFA tube 24. At this time, no air pressure is applied to the membrane F. The handling mechanism R3 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24.

  (B) Air pressure (0.5 MPa) is applied just before entering the product area (approximately 2 mm before), and the handling mechanism R3 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24. Thus, the excess addition-curing silicone rubber adhesive 23 that does not contribute to the adhesion between the elastic layer 22 and the PFA tube 24 and the air that has been entrained when the PFA tube 24 is covered are handled.

  (C) The handling mechanism R3 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the PFA tube 24 while the air pressure (0.5 MPa) is applied in the product region.

  (D) After entering the product area (approx. 5 mm from the product area), release the air pressure (return to atmospheric pressure) and keep the treated adhesive 23 and air outside the product area. The handling mechanism R3 is removed from the substrate W on which the PFA tube 24 is coated.

  Thereafter, the base material W covered with the PFA tube 24 was subjected to heat treatment, cutting, and polishing to complete the pressure belt 30.

  100 pressure belts 30 were completed using the method of the present embodiment, but were handled by the member (core) N (FIG. 2 (b)) holding the substrate W during the production of 100 belts. The adhesive 23 never adhered. In addition, 100 appearances of the created pressure belts 30 were inspected, but no defective parts such as handling unevenness were found. Using the pressure belt 30 manufactured in this example and outputting a solid image on OHT paper, no image defect or the like occurred.

  From the above results, it was found that this example can reduce the defective product rate as in Example 1.

[Other matters]
(1) In the first and second embodiments, the heating member and the pressure member as the fixing member have been described as being in the form of an endless belt body, but are not limited thereto. As the fixing member, a rigid roller body (columnar shape) or hollow roller body (cylindrical shape) is used as a base 21, and a cylindrical elastic layer 22 is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. 24 may be in the form of a roller body.

  (2) In the image heating and fixing apparatus A, in addition to an apparatus that heats an unfixed toner image (developer image, developer image) by a fixing member and fixes or presupposes it as a fixed image, the fixed toner Also included are devices that reheat the image to modify the surface properties such as gloss.

  A .. Image heating fixing device, 20. .. Fixing member (heating member: fixing belt), 30 .. Fixing member (pressure member: pressing belt), 60 .. Fixing nip, 22 .... Elastic layer, 23.・ Adhesive layer, 24 ・ ・ Fluorine resin tube, O, F ・ ・ Handling ring

Claims (20)

A first step of extrapolating the resin tube to the elastic material;
A ring-shaped member having a larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the resin tube extrapolated to the elastic material, in a second step of handling excess adhesive between the elastic material and the resin tube, Extrapolating to one end side in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube, and contacting the ring-shaped member from the one end side in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube while bringing the ring-shaped member into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the resin tube by air pressure The second step of moving toward the side, and
A method for producing a fixing member, comprising:   2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of removing the ring-shaped member from the resin tube after releasing the air pressure applied to the ring-shaped member moved to the other longitudinal end of the resin tube. Manufacturing method of fixing member.   2. The fixing according to claim 1, further comprising a step of removing the ring-shaped member from the resin tube after applying negative pressure to the ring-shaped member moved to the other longitudinal end of the resin tube. Method for manufacturing a member.   4. The method for manufacturing a fixing member according to claim 1, further comprising a step of applying the adhesive to an outer peripheral surface of the elastic material before the first step. 5. .   A step of holding one end in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube with a first holder and a second holder with the other end in the longitudinal direction; the first holder and the second holder holding the resin tube; And a step of expanding the resin tube in a radial direction in a state where the distance between the first holder and the second holder is reduced by a predetermined distance. 5. The method for manufacturing a fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the resin tube is expanded at the time of the first step. 6.   A step of increasing a distance between the first holding tool and the second holding tool by a predetermined distance to extend the resin tube extrapolated to the elastic material in a longitudinal direction; The method further comprises temporarily fixing the elastic tube to the elastic material by locally heating both longitudinal ends of the resin tube with the resin tube extended in the longitudinal direction. A method for producing a fixing member as described in 1. above.   The fixing step according to claim 6, wherein, in the temporary fixing step, the resin tube has a plurality of portions where the other end in the longitudinal direction is heated and a portion where the resin tube is not heated are alternately formed in the circumferential direction. Manufacturing method of member.   Fixing the resin tube to the elastic material by heating the adhesive between the elastic material and the resin tube after the second step; and the resin tube fixed to the elastic material. The method for manufacturing a fixing member according to claim 6, further comprising a step of separating a region temporarily fixed in the step of temporarily fixing.   The method for manufacturing a fixing member according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the resin tube is a fluororesin tube.   The method for manufacturing a fixing member according to claim 9, wherein the fluororesin is PFA. A mechanism for extrapolating the resin tube to the elastic material;
A ring-shaped member for handling excess adhesive between the elastic material and the resin tube, the ring-shaped member having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the resin tube extrapolated to the elastic material; A mechanism for moving the ring-shaped member from one end side to the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube while bringing the member into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the resin tube by air pressure;
An apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member, comprising: After the being air pressure collapsed divided into ring-shaped member which has moved to the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube, to claim 11, further comprising a mechanism for removing the ring-shaped member from said resin tube The fixing member manufacturing apparatus according to claim. After the negative pressure has been applied to the ring-shaped member which has moved to the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube, according to claim 11, further comprising a mechanism for removing the ring-shaped member from said resin tube An apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member.   The apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member according to claim 11, further comprising a mechanism for applying the adhesive to an outer peripheral surface of the elastic material.   A first holder that holds one end of the resin tube in the longitudinal direction; a second holder that holds the other end of the resin tube in the longitudinal direction; the first holder that holds the resin tube; The resin tube is expanded in the radial direction in a state where the distance between the first holding tool and the second holding tool is reduced by a predetermined distance, and a mechanism for reducing the distance between the second holding tool and the first holding tool. 15. The expansion mechanism according to claim 11, further comprising: an expansion mechanism that allows the resin tube to be expanded by the expansion mechanism when the resin tube is extrapolated to the elastic member. The fixing member manufacturing apparatus according to claim.   After the resin tube is extrapolated to the elastic material, a mechanism for widening the distance between the first holder and the second holder to extend the resin tube in the longitudinal direction by a predetermined distance; A mechanism for temporarily fixing the elastic tube to the elastic material by locally heating both longitudinal ends of the resin tube in a state where the resin tube is stretched in the longitudinal direction before the handling operation by the handling mechanism is performed; The apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member according to claim 15.   17. The fixing member according to claim 16, wherein the temporary fixing mechanism includes a plurality of portions that are heated and portions that are not heated in the other end in the longitudinal direction of the resin tube alternately in the circumferential direction. manufacturing device.   After the handling operation by the handling mechanism, a mechanism for fixing the resin tube to the elastic material by heating the adhesive between the elastic material and the resin tube, and the resin fixed to the elastic material 18. The fixing member manufacturing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising: a cutting mechanism that separates a region temporarily fixed to the elastic member from a tube.   The apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the resin tube is a fluororesin tube.   The fixing member manufacturing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the fluororesin is PFA.